Cigarette control dispenser

ABSTRACT

A time-controlled cigarette dispenser so to limit the frequency of availability thereof to a smoker, in order to decrease the amount of harm by nicotine to a person&#39;&#39;s body; the device consisting of a container from which one cigarette is dispensed at a time by a mechanism that is powered by a time-regulated motor.

United States Patent [191 Di Marzo Jan. 14, 1975 CIGARETTE CONTROLDISPENSER [76] Inventor: Vincent Di Marzo, 16-16 N.

Gardiner Dr., Bay Shore, NY. 1 1706 [22] Filed: Mar. 20, 1973 21 Appl.No.2 342,980

[52] U.S. Cl. 221/15, 221/265 [51] Int. Cl B65b 59/00 [58] Field ofSearch....... 221/15, 13, 265, 263, 277,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 436,074 9/1890 Doubleday221/265 985,125 2/1911 Bates 221/15 2,028,787 1/1936 Lane 221/152,206,983 7/1940 Troy 221/15 2,870,937 1/1959 Telly 221/15 3,266,6708/1966 Brooks ct al 222/70 3,722,742 3/1973 Wertz 221/15 FOREIGN PATENTSOR APPLICATIONS 1,086,632 8/1954 France 221/15 Primary Examiner-RobertB. Reeves Assistant ExaminerH. Grant Skaggs Attorney, Agent, orFirmRichard L. Miller [57] ABSTRACT A time-controlled cigarettedispenser so to limit the frequency of availability thereof to a smoker,in order to decrease the amount of harm by nicotine to a persons body;the device consisting of a container from which one cigarette isdispensed at a time by a mechanism that is powered by a time-regulatedmotor.

1 Claim, 8 Drawing Figures CIGARETTE CONTROL DISPENSER' This inventionrelates generally to article dispensers. More specifically it relates todispensers of cigarettes.

It is generally now well-known to most persons, that the smoking ofcigarettes has been concluded as hazardous to good health, and cigarettemanufacturers are obliged accordingly to print such warning on all theircigarette packages as well as in all their advertising. Never-the-lessin spite thereof, the smoking habit is so strong, that smokers find ithard to resist. Various methods have been accordingly popularizedwhereby smokers will smoke less, such as by placing cigarettes inreadily inaccessible places, as for example, in a chandelier so a personis obliged to climb up on a chair to reach the same. Therefore a needexists at this time for a more practical way of controlling theavailability of cigarettes to a smoker.

Accordingly it is a principle object of the present invention to providea cigarette dispenser that automatically limits the frequency of acigarette availability.

Another object is to provide a cigarette dispenser in which only onecigarette at a time becomes accessible.

Other objects are to provide a time controlled cigarette dispenser whichis simple in design, inexpensive to manufacture, rugged in construction,easy to use and efficient in operation.

These andother objects will be readily evident upon a study of thefollowing specification and the accompany drawing wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one design of the present invention, andwhich: is electrically powered.

FIG. 2 is a similar view of a slightly modified model thereof.

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view taken on line 33 of FIG. 2 and which isshown to be powered by a key wound mechanical timer.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the dispensing mechanismthereof.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of another design of the present invention.9

FIG. 6 is a cross sectional view taken on line 6-6 0 FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view taken on line 7-7 of FIG. 6, and whichis shown to be powered by a dry cell battery. I

FIG. 8 is a detail-showing a key operated timer.

Reference is now made to the drawings in detail, and more particularlyto FIGS. 1' through 4-at this time, wherein the reference numeral 10represents a cigarette control dispenser according-to the presentinvention. The dispenser includes a hopper 11 integrally mounted upon acase l2 thatcontains a dispensing mechanism 13 and a motor or timer 14that can be electrically powered (as shown by the model illustrated inFIG. 1) or mechanically, powered (as shown by the model illustrated inFIGS. 2 and '3).

The hopper 11 comprises an enclosure made of transparent hard plastic soto allow observation thereunto, and which has one or more openings 15high on one end thereof so that cigarettes l6 may be loaded thereinto.

The case may beof anyshape that is pleasingin appearance such as asphere 17 integral with or placable upon a cylindrical base 18, assuggested in the drawing.

The timer '14 may bean electricmotor in an electriccircuit with amanually controlld switch '19 andwith a plug 20 on the end of anexternal extension cord 21' for being plugged into a household electricoutlet socket, or alternately it may comprise a conventional springmotor 22 that is hand wound by a key 23.

The dispensing mechanism comprises a rotatable disc 24 mounted on theupper end of motor shaft 25; the disc 24 having an elongated slot 26therethrough which during rotation of the disc becomes aligned with aslot 27 through a stationary disc 28 secured on top of the case and withit aligned with a bottom opening 29 of the hopper mounted on the disc28. The case has a Sl'ationary wall 20 located below the disc 24, thewall forming a downwardly inclined chute 31 at one end which protrudesoutwardly of the case through a side opening 32. As shown in FIG. 3 itis to be noted that the space between the staionary disc 28 and wall 30is approximately the same as a thickness of a cigarette, so that in use,when slot 26' comes into alignment with slot 27 and opening 29, onecigarette drops from the hopper into the slot 26, the cigarette thenbeing carried by the rotating disc between disc 28 and wall 30 until itfinally is brought over the chute 31 where the cigarette thus drops fromslot 26, and rolls down the chute out of the case and comes to restagainst an upward turned lip on-stop 33, as shown.

In FIGS. 5 a design 34 of the invention is shown in which cigarettes aredispensed by a mechanism 35 that includes of drum 36' rotatable about ahorizontal axis within a case 37 the drum having a longitudinal notch 38on its cylindrical face, the notch coming into alignment with an opening39'at the bottom of the hopper 40 so to carry a cigarette to the chute41. This design of'the invention is shown in FIGS. 5 through 7 operatedby a dry cell battery 42 in an electric circuit with a motor 43 andswitch 44. A slidable door 45 on the bottomofthe case allows access toreplace a worn out battery. As shown in FIG. 8 a mechanical, key woundtimer 22can be used in this design, instead of the electric powerso todrive gear train 46 for rotating the drum.

Thus different forms of the invention have been provided.

While various changes may be made in the detail construction, it isunderstood that such changes will be within the spirit and scope'of thepresent invention as is defined by the apppended claims.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a cigarette control dispenser, the combination of a hopper forcontaining a supply of cigarettes, a case upon which said hopper ismounted, said case containing a timer motor and a mechanism driven bysaid motor, said mechanism intermittantly in equally spaced timeintervals dispensing said cigarettes one at a time, said hopperincluding at least one access opening near an upper portion thereof forre-loading cigarettes thereinto and an opening at its bottom from whichsaid cigarettes are dropped into said mechanism, said timer motor havingan output shaft that drives said mechanism, said timer motorbeing'drivenby conventional electrical or mechanical power, said mechanismcomprising a rotating member mounted on said output shaft, said memberhaving a recess that is equivalent to a length, width and thickness ofone of said cigarettes,

. said recess aligning with said hopper bottom opening at each rotationgof said rotating member whereby only one of said cigarettes fits thereinwhen gravity fed from said hopper, and an inclined chute extendingoutwardly case, a space between said plates being equivalent to aclearance for said thickness of said cigarette, and one end portion ofalower of said plates over which said recess travels being angularlydownward inclined to form an interior portion of said chute.

1. In a cigarette control dispenser, the combination of a hopper forcontaining a supply of cigarettes, a case upon which said hopper ismounted, said case containing a timer motor and a mechanism driven bysaid motor, said mechanism intermittantly in equally spaced timeintervals dispensing said cigarettes one at a time, said hopperincluding at least one access opening near an upper portion thereof forre-loading cigarettes thereinto and an opening at its bottom from whichsaid cigarettes are dropped into said mechanism, said timer motor havingan output shaft that drives said mechanism, said timer motor beingdriven by conventional electrical or mechanical power, said mechanismcomprising a rotating member mounted on said output shaft, said memberhaving a recess that is equivalent to a length, width and thickness ofone of said cigarettes, said recess aligning with said hopper bottomopening at each rotationg of said rotating member whereby only one ofsaid cigarettes fits therein when gravity fed from said hopper, and aninclined chute extending outwardly from said case, an inner end of saidchute being in proximity with said rotating member so that when saidrecess is nearest said chute, said cigarette is gravity fed from saidrecess, upon said chute and rolled outward of said case, wherein saidrotating member comprises a circular disc that rotates about a verticalaxis between an upper and lower horizontal stationary plate of saidcase, a space between said plates being equivalent to a clearance forsaid thickness of said cigarette, and one end portion of a lower of saidplates over which said recess travels being angularly downward inclinedto form an interior portion of said chute.